As 500,000 people gathered in Duisburg, Germany for the Love Parade Festival on Saturday, a mass stampede killed 15 people and left 40 injured.

A state of emergency was declared as several techno music fans were trampled to death in a tunnel connecting a railway goods yard to the concert grounds.

Concertgoer Karl Lowenstein said:

“It was hell. The tunnel was dark, it was full. Something happened - whether someone tripped or someone fell I don’t know. But there was a stampede to get to the other end and those who fell… well, many of them never got up again.

A friend and I got out as hundreds more poured in. We tried to tell them to close it down, but they didn’t listen. This was about 45 minutes before people were killed.”

Medical workers were even having trouble getting to the wounded because of the thousands of meandering people standing the the way.

Another witness said:

"I have never seen anything like it. I saw 25 people piled on top of one another, a huge heap. I cried.

The people couldn’t get any air. I saw the dead there. One person was completely pale and I wanted to give him some water but a medic said that wouldn’t help him - he was already gone. I saw police on the bridge just standing there and they didn’t do anything.”

114 comments to “15 Killed At Germany's Love Parade Festival”

1.3 million people were attending, not just 500,000….and 18 have been reported dead meantime….
Obviously drugs were involved and a group of people that got aggressive (cause they were on drugs perhaps)….

The medics couldn't do anything? It's called tell them to get the fuck out of the way. I would sue the hell out of whoever was running everything. They should have kept everything calm and limited the people. I just don't understand how you keep walking if there's someone UNDERNEATH you. I don't care if someone is pushing me I would help somebody get up.

Re: Shibberzz – I don't know if you ever been in a group of people the size like that? Or maybe even a couple of 100?

Then you would know that people don't 'just walk over other people', then you somewhat have an idea how strong a group of people can be and then you know that if something happens you can't do anything but 'go with it'. Because you're stuck, you can't go anywhere even though you need air, but everyone needs air and tries to get there.\

There's nothing 'wrong' with these people. This didn't happen out of selfishness. They were fighting for there lifes. It's called panic.

@Duckie: you seem really certain that drugs were involved. why so? just because they listen to house and electronic sounds? not all of them are druggies. it's not my scene either, but don't judge based on music.
ans as to the comment of Shibberzz: you try helping up people that tripped and fell in a fucking tunnel, while hundred upon hundred other people are pushing you forward and there is no way out. think about that.
I have to agree with Coralein: this is a tragedy. may all of them r.i.p.

There is NO room to get out of the way. It's one big mass of people and only one road with a tunnel.

I've been in a situation like this (smaller) but once it happens there's no were to go. Your stuck. Nobody got killed but several were injured.
They refused to open doors but >500 people we're pushing. Not for fun or to be selfish, no because they wanted to make room for someone who fainted. But by trying to help her it only got really bad for the people in front of the line.

If people are packed together like that there's no were to go. Just one step back can make the group go out of balance. It's like domino, or a big wave that started out as a tiny wave (push, step back) And once the panic starts…

Obviously you morons have no idea of the physical mass behind a mob of humanity and the sheer physical force that mob exerts. Yeah, just tell them to back off. That'd work. Assholes. You'd be better off trying to hold back Niagara Falls for a few minutes; it ain't gonna happen.

I find your comments to this quite disrespectul to the people who died or got injured. Imagine if it was your child who ended up dead there, would you still say 'O, it doesn't matter, he/she was probably high?'

I think it's one thing to put blame on people, but had it been you in that tunnel you probably would have run for dear life and you probably wouldn't even think about what was underneath your feet.

For God's sake, this is a TRAGEDY. Young people got killed there today; someone's daughter, son, brother, sister, husband, wife… show some respect!

what the fuck has the world come too?! ive been in a similar situation like this at my local fair (without as much a crowd and deaths) me and my friends were waiting in line for a ride. it was all foreigners operating the ride so they didnt give a shit how the line was. it was absolutely horrible. for a fucking 1 minute shitty carnival ride.! people would push when the (i think they were very stupid and irresponsible) ride operators opened the gate. i then was like fuck it and got out of line ( a few people wouldnt move and i had to push a little, oh well get the fuck out of my way when im trying to LEAVE the line, not cut in front of u!) and lets not forget that i have never felt so violated in my life, people breathing on ur neck and face,, much other personal stuff i wont mention..figure it urself. THESE KINDA GATHERINGS NEED MORE SECURITY AND ORGANIZATION SO THIS WONT HAPPEN! i feel ashamed to be a part of human race atm

Re: Shibberzz –
Do you remember that incident at a concert several years ago in a nightclub in Rhode Island, where it caught fire and everyone panicked and trampled over each other? Similar situation, although I don't know what set off the panic or rush in this situation yet. I never been in this type of situation, and I would like to think that I would be a responsible person and help people or act rationally. However, when panic sets in, especially when it involves a mass number of people, survival instincts kick in and we go along with the flow. At least that's what it looked like happened here. It's a tragic situation that could have been prevented.

another thing to remember - there weren´t 500.000 attending but the venue was build to hold 500.000 people. actually almost 1,4millions were there….just a horrible planning on the organizations site to choose this particular venue which you have to enter through a tunnel….

That is so awful. Maybe it is not the case in this situation but where I live a lot of the big festivals are getting bigger year on year and there are also a lot of new ones springing up. Whilst this means that there is a lot of money coming in for the organizers I wonder whether health and safety is neglected and not stepped up?

Whatever the case this is a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to these poor people and their friends and families.

PROOF HUMANS ARE NO MORE IDIOTS THAN THEIR ANIMAL COUNTERPARTS. REMINDS ME OF THE SHORT FILM OF LEMMINGS RUNNING OVER A CLIFF JUST CUZ BUNCH OF DOUCHE BAG LEMMINGS STARTED THE STAMPEDE. EXACTLY LIKE FAT ASS PEREZ. JUST CUZ UNCONFIRMED POORLY RESEARCH TABLOID ARTICLES GET COPIED TO BUNCH OF GOSSIP SITES AND BLOGS, FAT BOY PEREZ HAS TO FOLLOW AND CUT & PASTE. SMFH!!!!!!! TRUTH.

Things like this can happen very easily when you have a lot people crammed into one place and they are trying to all move towards the same destination. Something happens that causes a chain reaction of panic and the movement of people is then accelerated and people start to fall and there is no stopping the trampling. Security or police should have foreseen the hazard and only allowed so many people to pass through at once. But no one in the tunnel is really to blame.

they should have canceled the whole event after the tragedy. I watched for less minutes the party over live-stream and they dj'd "enjoy the silence". wtf? but what do u do with 1,4 million party people? too many at one place, bad organized. R.I.P.!

Re: Silly-Syl –
It HAS got to do with DRUGS! Cause the papers say, poklice asked the drugged idiots woh STILL pushed to get INTO the tunnel at its end when they were told by police and security staff to GET BACK and AWAY, cause there are dead ones and its dangerous inside the tunnel ….Had they been SOBER they d have reacted differently with a CLEAR mind! People on drugs are just IGNORANT, SELFISH and DUMD and can not EVALUATE a situation! That s why I said those on drugs are guilt above all!

Re: shewentwhoa –
Sueing does NOT help in the Germany of 2010! Our judges here set MUDERERS free every week. especially when they have some Muslim immigrants background…..I MEAN it: 20-25 year olds are regarded as "youths" by the judges, the absolute MAXIMUM penalty for youths for murder and other killings is 10(!) years in prison. Which NO ONE actually SERVES. They get FREE education in German prisons, free internet, free social security, free health care and are released mostly after having served 2/3 of their penalty! THIS is Germa

Acc. to German newsmag "DER SPIEGEL" police now say there were LESS than the 1.4 mn people there, however, still much, much more than the allowed 350,000…The "closed" area (what idiot organizes such an event in a CLOSED area? In Berlin years ago it always was just in the "open streets" so to speak) measures about 235,000 square meters, and the tunnel was the ONLYX exit AND entrance there…..only AFTER the stampede did they open the gates leading to a nearby autobahn……
It still says, thee tragedy was acc. to eye witnesses started when some youths climbed some fences to get into the area EARLIER, they then fell down and started the panic when they fell on top of the other people just entering the tunnel…

i honestly don't understand why people act so stupid lately. it's not cool to rush in an entrance especially. it first started with Hard summer last year and then EDC and now this?! people need to stop doing their E pills and get their feeling back. I'm surprised Audiotistic is still going on tonight… They better be scared of little kids rushing in since they made it an 18+ rave…

Similar thing happened in LA at EDC this year.
I was there and honestly there is NO controlling a MOB OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE!
If you're in the crowd and you're stuck with it you can not control anything, all you can do is GO with wherever the crowd is being forced to.
If someone happens to trip/fall then maybe the person next to them might try to stop and stop other people but they may get pushed away and the people around them might not notice the person on the floor and so on - and thats how things like this happens. only people at fault are the organizers.
very tragic. rip.

Oh my god. 19 died, 342 heavy injured. The problem was the area have just space for 500.000! And it came 1,4 million people!
The President of Germany is now involved about this horrible situation and want to know every details!

I think it's so sad something had to happen like this. They KNEW 1,4 MILLION people were coming that day, and still, the only way in was through a dark tunnel. They should have done something the day BEFORE instead of now regretting it a day later.

My condolences to the family, friends and fellow countrymen Germans. There are a lot of European festivals, hopefully the organizers of all of them will be reevaluating their security measures and making sure things are kept safe for everyone.

I was there with some friends it was a complete zoo people were acting like animals and I was lucky enough to get out of the tunnel seconds before the panic started. The sitouation was completly out of control. Very dissapointing. I feel terrible for the families.

Blaming this tragedy on drugs is ridiculous! Please don't be so ignorant! Alcohol on a hot day with so many people around is going to do far more damage for example. But neither of these are to blame, this was logistically flawed from the start.
The organizers knew well in advance that over one million people were going to attend (as they have over all these years the Love Parade has existed), no point in denying this. Having only the one entrance through that tunnel was one of the dumbest things ever. Whoever decided that should be held accountable.
They were sending people back saying the venue was over capacity (which it wasn't at that time) so you have people coming in and people going back out through the same tunnel. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that can only end very badly.
RIP to all the victims and my sincere sympathies to the families and friends of those affected by this tragic event.

"what is wrong with these people?"SERIOUSLY? Have you ever been to an event like this. YOu CANT move, even though you want to. You cant move your arm to help someone… you just CANT

Ive been in a situation like this. Way smaller. It was during Carnival infront of a pub. "ONLY" 30 people were waiting outside. Everybody wanted to get out, others left the pub… In the end i was sitting there not able to get up again… security had to help me!

i've been in that tunnel just one hour before the tragedy happened and the entrance already was a total chaos with people passing out and the police was totally helpless.
they politley asked people to stop destroying bus stations i mean wtf?!
as i left i passed by the injured and it looked terrible.
they were on the floor and the were not enough paramedics to help them. people were crying while searching for their friends.
and it was not some drug party going on there! there were many people who were sober or maybe just having a beer.
it's a tragedy that resulted out of the bad organisation.
R.I.P.

16 out of 19 dead are identified..among them one australian, italian, chinese and one from the netherlands.. apparently more girls/women got killed.. just saw the press conference and video footage .. absolutely devastated..

Hi, after reading the comments here i'm shocked!!!
I've saw the images. It's a terrible thing that happend people died so don't judge but show respect. There's never going to be a love parade again. In europe it's so very famous to go dancing having fun and enjoy on that kind of festivals. That makes it more sad.

Re: leighja – Please check the historic facts, the Love Parade has drawn crowds of over a million each year since its start in 1989. There were enough indications for the organizer that this year would be no different. If they say they only expected 500K, then I call BS. They knew, it was simply set up in a very unprofessional way. And now 19 have died, and so has the Love Parade, RIP

the thing is: they did expect 1 mill. people to come, while knowing that the venue could only hold up to 500,000. they thought they would be able to manage the leaving/entering crowds.
the retard that came up with that concept should be held responsible.Re: luvs2tango – how about you just shut up? think before you post anything.

Re: Martin Döringer – they interviewed the DJ who was on stage at the time today - he was told to keep going as it was a way of stopping a mass panic (as the people at the stage end had no idea what had happened) and causing even more problems -they weren't being disrespectful, just doing what was asked (and not happy about it)

Acutal 19 people are dead over 340 injured.
It's so sad and I'm really pissed to read that stupid stuff about drugs as reason for that. There were many mistakes in the organisation - you can't use one way to get in and out. And then close the doors even if more and more people are coming.
I know that people take drugs on such events, but e.g. I'm one of those who don't do that and I attend on these events.
NO magazin or newspaper in GERMANY says that drugs are the reason.
If 6-7 people are on 1 sqaremeter you can't stop walking even if you want to if someone is beneath you. It's so sad.